Niantic Labs has released the promised massive Pokémon GO update that would introduce 80 new Gen 2 Pokémon to the mobile game in addition to several other changes.
The Gen 2 Pokémon, coming from Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver, include two new evolutions for Eevee, namely Espeon and Umbreon. Is it possible to make sure that a player's Eevee will evolve into one of these two forms?
Eevee Evolution Trick Still Works
Just several days after Pokémon GO was first released in July of last year, gamers were able to figure out how to make Eevee evolve into one of the then-three available evolutions of the Pokémon known as Eeveelutions.
To have an Eevee evolve into a Vaporeon, players had to change the name of the Eevee into Rainer. To evolve into Jolteon, it had to be renamed Sparky, and to evolve into Flareon, it had to be renamed Pyro.
The names being given to Eevee came from a 1998 episode of the Pokémon anime that featured three brothers who each owned one of the Eeveelutions. The names of the three brothers are the ones that the trick uses to make sure that a certain Eeveelution is acquired.
With Espeon and Umbreon finally available as two more Eeveelutions on Pokémon GO, some players may have wondered whether the same trick will work to make sure that an Eevee evolves into one of these two new forms.
To acquire an Espeon, players will need to rename their Eevee as Sakura, and to acquire an Umbreon, players will need to rename it as Tamao. Players are then recommended to first save the game by exiting the app to make sure that the Pokémon GO servers register the name change and then use 25 candies to evolve the Eevee into Espeon or Umbreon.
Sakura and Tamao are two of the five Kimono sisters from the Pokémon anime, with the rest of the Kimono sisters owning the three original Eeveelutions. This continues the trend of how Niantic Labs used the names of the Eevee brothers for the first three Eeveelutions.
In Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver, Espeon can only be evolved during the day and Umbreon only at night. There is no such limitation for Pokémon GO, as the two new Eeveelutions can be acquired at any time.
However, it should be noted that the name change trick for Eeveelutions will only work once for each of the five names, with succeeding attempts reverting back to the random nature of Eeveelutions. As such, it is recommended that players wait to catch a powerful Eevee before using the trick.
Other Contents Of Massive Pokémon GO Update
In addition to the 80 Gen 2 Pokémon, the latest update for Pokémon GO also added new evolutions, changes to encounter gameplay when catching Pokémon, the new Pinap and Nanab Berries, and more avatar customization options.
For Eevee fanatics who have moved away from Pokémon GO and into Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, here is a guide on how to evolve Eevee into Sylveon, Leafeon, and Glaceon in the two Nintendo 3DS titles.
